Finally, I Found a Fragrance Brand That Matches My Witchy-Girl Energy

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my fledgling beauty career, it’s that fragrance does so much more than just smell good. Not to pull a Miranda Priestly, but that oud perfume you selected because it “smells like fall” contains a hero ingredient that predates the Roman Empire by more than 1000 years—a good-as-gold liquid that enhanced religious rituals and evidenced royalty. Oh, and that cool-girl Le Labo scent you’re adding to your cart right now? It contains petrichor (the bottled essence of rain-soaked earth), a scent that whisks you back to a gloomy April evening in your childhood home.

You see, fragrance has depth that other beauty categories can barely wade in—with roots in ancient medicinal practices that tangle with folklore and witchcraft. To put it plainly, it goes so much further than chic packaging. When fragrance is done right, it’s designed with intention: to enhance your aura, your outfit, and, in the best-case scenario, your innermost sense of well-being. At least, that’s the philosophy that Australian fashion industry maven-turned-fragrance connoisseur Yasmin Sewell, founder of the neuroscience-backed fragrance brand, Vyrao, abides by.

“It’s all about energy and intention,” Sewell tells Who What Wear. “Vyrao blends time-honoured ingredients and healing traditions with modern neuroscience, harnessing the power of plants and flowers.” The brand’s motto is to create beautiful things that don’t just look and smell gorgeous, but deliver on something deeper. “Neuroscents,” they’re called. “Each fragrance is a multisensory experience. … They feel transformative, thoughtful, and deeply personal,” she adds. Sewell balanced a career in fashion with her interests in holistic health and spirituality, which later inspired a professional overhaul after 25 years. “I left my last job in fashion in 2018, went through some personal life changes, and decided it was time to channel everything I love and know into one thing, which became Vyrao.”